From: dangerous@telus.net   
      
   Claire so sorry to hear of your loss.....   
      
   My dad had a partial pension (served 22 years).   
   Still miss him....and so many times I  have questions for   
   him about life during his Military career...   
      
   I don't know anything about DVA benefits.  My dad   
   had none....I still have all the papers from his place...   
   I should look through them again.   
      
   And once again Claire.....my condolences...   
      
   (((hugs)))   
      
   --   
   Dora   
   Dangerous with Attitude   
      
   I do it cause I can   
   "Claire (Mason) Blais"  wrote in message   
   news:907Uh.72671$DE1.50640@pd7urf2no...   
   > Haven't posted for quite a while - we lost our Dad on March 29/07 - after   
   > a   
   > long 5 months in hospital. As much as we were relieved that he was finally   
   > "home" where he kept asking to be especially in the last month - we miss   
   > him   
   > very much and haven't quite come to grips yet with the fact that we won't   
   > be   
   > seeing him again in this life.   
   >   
   > Sometime when I'm feeling a bit stronger - remind me to post about the   
   > pitfalls of not pre-planning/pre-paying for your funeral - Whew what an   
   > experience! And the expense was astronomical for what we got - did most of   
   > it ourselves (catharsis factors).   
   >   
   > Dad never did qualify for any DVA benefits although he served in both WWII   
   > with the army and for 10 years during peacetime in the airforce - which   
   > would have helped his wife with the costs of caring for him in the last   
   > couple of year and ultimately with the funeral.  In the end the contractor   
   > who does the hearing tests for DVA wouldn't come and complete the tests as   
   > Dad had an infection (was not highly contagious- he wasn't in   
   > isolation)and   
   > this would have been the easiest way for him to qualify. Dad put off for   
   > years applying for any DVA benefits - he managed nicely he said, on his   
   > Fed   
   > Govt Pension and didn't need the small amount of money he would have been   
   > able to get.  However that said - the medical benefits and end of life   
   > benefits would have been very helpful.   
   >   
   > If any of you have parents who would qualify but are reluctant to go   
   > through   
   > the process please encourage them on - the medical stuff - is far and   
   > above   
   > whatever a person can get from a normal health care provider (they help   
   > with   
   > transport costs to and from medical appointments and help with special   
   > equipment needed to maintain independance etc.) and they cover the full   
   > cost   
   > of the funeral if you are in receipt of a pension from them. This  leaves   
   > the one(s) behind with a little more to manage on.   
   >   
   > Dad didn't qualify for last post fund either (too much cash in the bank)   
   > but   
   > only by a bit and it's a qualify or don't scenario - so if you don't   
   > there's   
   > no help - not a sliding scale - Last Post is not that much money   
   > ($3,600-max) but every little bit would help someone.   
   >   
   > Neither DVA or Last Post are very user friendly systems so be prepared to   
   > deal with "big business" - but that said it's worth the effort.   
   >   
   > Someone on the group posted years ago about where a person could apply to   
   > get a copy of a person's military records once they were deceased - any   
   > one   
   > remember where - my sibs are I are thinking that we would like to get a   
   > copy   
   > of our Dad's to put with the family history stuff.   
   >   
   > Thanks   
   > Claire   
   >   
   >   
   >   
   >   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)